The Voyage of Dreams
by Nightingales Fall
Summary: Being stranded in a foreign world had hardened Roan. But a chance meeting with a rubber boy who dreams of being Pirate King threatens to turn everything he thought he knew and believed on its head. Genderfluid main character.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 ** _"_** ** _A Devil of a Decision"_**

 _Ten Years Ago_

 _January 1, 1512_

 _The Ringmaster surveyed the newest crop. These were East Blue stock, which meant nothing exotic except perhaps a rare coloring or two, but that didn't matter. East Blue stock was hardy. The Ringmaster didn't know what it was about this weak sea that produced such exceptional specimens but he wasn't above taking advantage of it to turn a profit. Joker was always eager for a new crop and nobles all over the world would pay a good price for a slave guaranteed to last a few years._

 _He walked down the line of slaves, cataloguing them in his mind, deciding who would be best placed where. They needed to be taught before they could be sold if he wanted to make a proper profit. Unused slaves with good training always sold higher even if they weren't exotic specimens. That was how the Ringmaster made such a profit despite taking most of his pickings from the weakest sea._

 _There were quite a few boys in this crop; several of them likely had once belonged to farmsteads going by the muscles in their arms. One had ink stains on his fingers – perhaps a scholar? Hmm, not many people paid for intelligent slaves without assurance that the fight had been beat out of them. That one would have to be trained especially before he could be sold._

 _Most of the slaves were already cowed. Whatever fight they might have had in them when they were freshly caught had been worn out of them by long days of travel and work. The Ringmaster sent his harshest hunters out when the circus didn't bring in a good crop as a way to kill two birds with one stone. He got more slaves to sell and they came to him with broken wills, making them much more malleable to his training._

 _The Ringmaster stopped at the last slave in the line. He peered down at it and felt a faint stirring of interest. There were no bruises on this one's skin, nor any signs of discipline by the hunters. The Ringmaster gripped its chin in his hand and tilted its face up. It looked to be a female by the delicateness of its features; dull eyes stared up at him with only the barest stirring of fear._

 _"_ _Are you not afraid?" he asked._

 _The slave tilted its head and replied in a foreign tongue. The Ringmaster felt his interest peak; East Blue was a sea of common speakers. Finding any who spoke a language aside from common in this sea was unheard of. All the bilinguals and polyglots came from the other seas. Ohara had hosted a great many of them before the fools poked their noses into things best left alone and got blown up._

 _It had been a long time since the Ringmaster was interested in a slave. Those he had personally picked and trained had each become some of his key enforcers and the perfect hunters. Several were excellent thieves, ghosting into the homes of the elite and spiriting away portions of their wealth. Two had become the perfect assassins; one his bodyguard and the other currently hired out to a nobleman's usage._

 _All had complete loyalty to the Ringmaster and the Ringmaster alone._

 _And it appeared he had found his next protégé._

* * *

 **Present Day**

"Well, shit."

The barmaid looked at him with sympathy as she set Roan's drink down in front of him. "Not your intended destination?" she inquired, gesturing towards the small, well worn map he had rolled out in front of him.

"Not even close," Roan said. He traced the path from Cocoyashi to Shells Town and groaned when he found Dawn Island. He'd gone too far north during his sailing. "I didn't mean to get this close to Goa at all."

Goa, a kingdom and a city of unparalleled cleanliness and beauty, festered with the rot of corruption. Roan remembered it from his time in the circus. The Ringmaster had made a number of dirty deals with the nobles there, smuggling drugs and people in and out. The elites paid a lot of money to have certain undesirables "disappear" and the Ringmaster had always been happy to acquire a fresh crop without the hassle of kidnapping.

The barmaid looked sad. "You've been to Goa before?"

"More than enough to last a lifetime," Roan said, rolling his map up and putting it back in his pack. "That place leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Ironic, really, since Roan wasn't a paragon of moral righteousness. He'd helped the Ringmaster out with his vile schemes and even now he'd sold his skills to the morally corrupt for a little extra cash. It was a dog eat dog world out there and Roan was trying to survive. What did he care for the moral high ground if it was going to get him killed?

Roan was about to ask for a meal to accompany his drink when the door to the bar burst open. Conversation faltered and silence fell over the bar as a group of thugs stepped inside like they owned the place. Roan noticed that the barmaid remained calm despite the white knuckled grip she had on the rag in her hands. At the end of the bar, a young looking kid in a straw hat glanced up from his meal with a frown.

"Oya, oya, what's with those faces?" the leader said with a leering grin. "You act like you ain't happy to see us." He spread his arms out wide in a mockery of a welcoming gesture. "Come on, where's the hospitality? Shouldn't you be welcoming such valued customers?" He turned to his companions. "We're good customers, ain't we boys? Paying and everything."

"That's right Boss Tora," one of the lackeys said eagerly. 'We're payin' customahs!"

"Right, right!" Boss Tora said. "So bring out the sake, dollface."

The barmaid plastered on a pleasant smile. "Of course, sir," she said, reaching under the bar and pulled out a bottle. Boss Tora took it from her with a charming smile, turned, and swung.

Glass shattered. The barmaid flinched back with a startled cry. Roan leaped away from the bar and the spilt sake as it dripped onto the floorboards and his pack. Glass crunched under his heels. Boss Tora had swung the bottle right at Roan.

"Now, I like to think I'm a reasonable man," Boss Tora said in a drawling tone. He narrowed his eyes at Roan. "So I'll give you a few seconds to consider carefully, Bounty Hunter, what you're going to do."

"Well, I _was_ going to have a meal and leave," Roan said. "I'm only a part time bounty hunder and I don't hunt egoist pricks like you; the money's not enough to make listening to your bullshit worth it, see."

Boss Tora took offense to that and drew his sword. "You – !"

Roan side stepped his wild swing easily. Looked like he wouldn't even need to use his own sword. "I _was_ going to do that," he continued as if the interruption hadn't happened. Boss Tora's blade dug deeply into the wooden floorboards. Roan smiled nastily and stepped on it, preventing it from being pulled out. "But then you spilt perfectly good sake to get my attention. Now tell me, what kind of man would I be if I ignored such a blatant cry for attention?"

He grabbed Boss Tora by the hair and slammed him face first into the edge of the bar. The thug slumped to the ground in an unconscious heap. His lackeys took offense and charged Roan all at once.

"How dare ya do that ta Boss Tora!"

"Die Bounty Hunter!"

Roan caught the first with a round house kick to the throat. He flew into an empty table, gasping for breath and clutching at his throat – Roan might have crushed his windpipe. Oops. The second lackey got a right hook to the nose and a knee to the gut. The last one went after Roan's head with a sword. Roan ducked under it, got behind the idiot, and kicked him hard in the back. He hit the bar hard enough to knock the breath out of him. Roan took advantage and slammed his head into the hardwood until he was knocked out on the ground next to his boss.

The silence in the bar was broken by boisterous laughter. Roan flicked his gaze to the boy at the end of the bar, the one in the straw hat. The kid grinned like a lunatic, pleased as punch, unfazed by the sudden violence. The barmaid sighed shakily and pressed a hand to her face. Still, a smile pulled at her lips so Roan suspected she was familiar with the kid and not at all surprised by his reaction.

"That was so cool!" the kid said. "Hey, hey, join my crew!"

Roan stared. "Your…crew."

"My pirate crew," the kid elaborated. "I'm setting out to start my journey to find One Piece today, so I need crewmembers."

"Did you not hear the part where I'm a _bounty hunter?_ " Roan asked with an incredulous expression. "What makes you think I'd want to be a pirate?"

The kid pouted. "What's wrong with being a pirate?" he asked. "Pirates are the freest people on the seas! They see the world, go on adventures, find treasure, sing good songs and eat good food! What's not to like?"

 _What an idealistic view,_ Roan thought with a touch of bitterness. He didn't have the option to see the world like that. He never had. Survival was a bitter battle and his goal a desperate endeavor. Besides, Roan didn't trust people. His faith in this world's humanity had taken to many hits.

'How about all of the above?" he said, picking up his pack and slinging it over one shoulder. It was soaked with sake which meant his map was probably ruined. Damn. That was his only translated map and it'd cost him a pretty penny. Without it, his chances of making it to Shells Town on time were slim to none.

Roan turned his back on the Straw Hat kid and looked at the barmaid. "Do you know where I can get a new map, ma'am? I'm afraid the sake might have ruined mine."

"Call me Makino," she said. "And yes; there's a cartographer's office just down the street, near the docks." Her smile took on a mischievous cast. "I'm sure Luffy can show you the way."

Roan grimaced as Luffy – the Straw Hat kid – cheered. "I'm sure," he said in as pleasant a tone he could manage. "Thank you for the help."

"If I get you a map, join my crew!" Luffy demanded as he led the way outside.

"Why would I want to? I have my own goals to pursue." Roan brushed off his demand. He had his goals and becoming an outlaw wasn't conductive to them. But he _was_ curious. "Why do you want to be a pirate anyways?"

Luffy reached up to his straw hat, grinning. "I made a promise to return this hat after I become the Pirate King. I'm going to gather a crew and set out for the Grand Line." His expression turned contemplative. "Ten or so crewmembers seems like a good number."

Roan stared at him incredulously, but Luffy was completely serious. Ten members? That was the barebones of a crew and that depended on what skill sets the people he recruited had. Luffy needed quality people if he wanted to survive with such a small crew.

"Thought about it a lot then?"

"Yep. It's been my dream since I was a kid." Luffy turned so he was walking backwards, facing Roan. "What's your goal?"

There wasn't any harm in being honest. "The Grand Line, ultimately," Roan said. "If half the rumors are true, that's the only place I'll find my answers."

 _Just wait a little longer sis. I'm on my way._

"Then join my crew!" Luffy demanded again. "If you're going to the Grand Line you can come with us!"

Roan glared at him. "What part of the word no do you not understand? I have my reasons for saying it, so listen!"

"Then what are they?"

Roan was tempted to tell him _none of your business_ but that was rude and he doubted it'd make Luffy back off. Still, explaining that he didn't want to be an outlaw when he technically _was_ an outlaw (even if only in certain circles) seemed redundant and hypocritical.

"I'm not good at following orders," Roan settled on. "I'd be a bad addition to any crew."

It was a shit excuse, but Roan didn't want to explain. He'd rather continue as he was, raising money for his own ship and crew than shackle himself to a crew whose goals didn't align with his own.

"So I won't give bad orders," Luffy said like it was obvious. He grinned at Roan's disbelieving expression. "And since I'm the captain, if I think you're a good addition to my crew, you are."

That…Roan had no response to that. It was the most ridiculous, convoluted logic he'd ever heard. He stared at Luffy in frank disbelief, expecting him to take the words back or falter in _some way_ , but the stupid kid just continued to grin.

 _Where does he get that sort of confidence?_

"Doesn't matter," Roan said, shoving past him. "I won't join your crew."

Roan could see the sign for the cartographer's now. The sign was worn and the paint was peeling, which didn't inspire much confidence, but it wasn't like Roan had a lot of options. One of them trotted after him like a puppy, poking him and asking too many questions and demanding he join.

 _No. No way. I have to get to the Grand Line under my own power. I can't be under someone else's rule again. I just need the money to buy a ship. I just need to keep doing what I'm doing and I'll be fine._

Somewhere a bell tinkled as Roan pushed the door to the cartographer's open. The shop – if it could be called that – was small, cramped, and dusty. Luffy sneezed loudly behind him, stirring up a cloud of dust. Roan tugged his shirt up over his nose in an effort to avoid sneezing or choking on the dust. He was less than impressed with what he'd seen of the shop so far.

A little old lady toddled out from the back room, squinting at them. "Hello?" she said and when they didn't respond instantly, "HELLO? Goodness, are you deaf?"

"Yo!" Luffy said.

"Hi," was Roan's rather flat response. "I was told you sell maps."

The lady smacked her lips and tilted her head. "Maps, mm? Well, I think I do some of that…yes, yes, that's right. And what do you want with my maps, eh? I DON'T HAVE ANY GRAND LINE CHARTS!"

Oh, lovely. The cartographer was senile. Roan barely restrained the urge to groan and face-palm. Instead, he wrestled his irritation down and put on his best and most charming smile.

"I'm not hear about Grand Line charts, ma'am," he said in his most polite tone. "I just need a map of East Blue – preferably one that can get me to Shells Town from here."

The old lady squinted at him suspiciously, smacked her lips some more, hemmed and hawed and carried on. "Well…hem…I see, I see. Shells Town, eh? Heh-hem…" She shuffled over to a filing cabinet and pulled the bottom drawer open. It was filled to the brim with papers, not all of them maps, and no sense of organization.

Roan shuddered. He'd learned the value of cleanliness and organization at the hands of the Ringmaster and it'd been a harsh lesson. The Ringmaster didn't tolerate mistakes of any kind. And even though it'd been years since the Ringmaster, there were habits Roan had never managed to shake and organization was one of them. That drawer was a horror show to the part time bounty hunter.

The old lady dug through the papers, mumbling to herself and tossing them everywhere. "No, no, definitely not – what the hell is this? – no, no, no – aha!"

"Did you find one?" Luffy asked curiously.

"I did," the lady said with pride. She shuffled up tot eh counter slowly with joints that Roan would swear creaked. The map was laid out proudly and Roan leaned forward to inspect, expecting something great and perfectly clear –

"This isn't a map, it's a picture," Roan said flatly.

And a child's drawing at that. Not even a good one. Sure, you could tell that it was a picture of an ocean and meant to emulate a map but the islands weren't distinguishable as anything more than green blobs. There weren't even any latitude or longitude lines.

"It is not!" the lady croaked indignantly. "This is the finest map in – he-hem – in East Blue! I paid good money for this map!"

Roan closed his eyes, took a deep breath through his nose and breathed it out slowly. Yelling at a senior citizen was a bad idea. He could go back and yell at Makino-san for being a conniving, information withholding liar but that wouldn't help anything. Really, Roan was screwed, so very, very screwed.

"That's not the map I need," Roan forced out, "but thank you for your time, ma'am."

He turned and stalked out before she could respond. He shot a glare towards the bar and then turned his feet towards the docks.

"Hey, does this mean you'll join my crew now?"

Roan spun around, intending to tell the kid to _fuck off_ , but the words died in his mouth. Luffy was grinning, completely guileless and it was such an _open_ expression that it left Roan at a loss. He stared and tried to contemplate how this naïve kid could see anything of worth in him.

 _I'm a betrayer, a murderer, a thief, a saboteur, a liar._

 _What do you see in me that makes me worth anything?_

"Why," he asked abruptly, "do you want me to join? You don't even know my _name._ "

"So?" Luffy said and _shoved his pinky up his nose._

Roan wanted to scream. This impossible paradox of a kid tested his patience and they'd only known each other for maybe ten minutes. And yet he was still considering…

" _So,_ what do you see in me that makes you want me as part of your crew? As, if you're just starting out, your _first_ crewmember? Why a stranger for a first mate?"

"Because I decided," Luffy said without elaborating.

Roan was at the end of his rope. Sure, he could continue to say no and continue trying to raise funds for a ship and crew of his own, but it was taking so damn long. Bounty hunting paid well and working for Along put food on the table, but Roan was always aware of the fine line he was skirting. Between Smoker's interest in him, his past deeds, his current deeds, and the many, _many_ unanswered questions surrounding his circumstances, Roan balanced on a knife's edge. One wrong move and he'd fall.

He wasn't sure he'd make it back up if he did.

 _What do I have to lose? I have_ _ **nothing**_ _, I am_ _ **nothing**_ _. If it comes down to it, I can abandon ship. It wouldn't be the first time. And I_ _ **need**_ _to get to the Grand Line._

Roan had never considered himself impulsive, but when he looked at Luffy and prepared to say yes, it felt a lot like jumping when he couldn't see the ground.

"I guess you've got a first mate, then," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **"** **Thieving Girls and Cabin Boys"**

 _Eight Years Ago_

 _1514_

 _Roan hated the circus._

 _Once upon a time she'd loved it. Exotic animals, death defying acts, humor and adventure and magic; they'd all been enough to put stars in her naïve little eyes. These days she watched from the sidelines as the Ringmaster put on a show and seethed with the disgust she felt._

 _It burned that she was a part of this. But…_

 _She fingered the collar around her neck._

 _…_ _it wasn't like she had a choice._

* * *

 **Present Day**

It didn't take Roan long to start regretting his impulsive decision.

"I swear to _god_ , Luffy, if you don't _get down from there_ – "

"It's my special seat!" Luffy insisted, perched precariously at the bow of the boat and not budging for anything. "You can't have it."

"I don't want it!" Roan snapped.

They'd left Fūsha and Dawn Island behind half an hour ago. After Roan had agreed to join Luffy's crew, there'd been the hassle of getting supplies (the kid had _nothing_ ) and convincing Luffy that, no, they were _not_ setting sail in a little dinghy, not when Roan had a perfectly serviceable boat they could use. Luffy had pouted tremendously much to Makino's amusement and Roan's annoyance. He'd finally sent his new captain off to say his goodbyes while he took advantage of the villager's goodwill and fondness for Luffy to wrangle the best supplies at the cheapest prices.

Once Luffy returned, they'd set out to farewells and good luck wishes from the people of Fūsha. And about that time Luffy had told Roan about his devil fruit abilities and claimed his special seat at the bow.

"If you fall off and I have to save you, I'm going to tie you in knots," Roan threatened.

"Eh? That's mean!"

Roan threw his hands up in frustration and spun away from Luffy before he gave into impulse and tried to strangle him. Or shoved him overboard. It hadn't even been a day and Roan already questioned his sanity.

The boat shook suddenly, wildly. Roan staggered as a giant sea serpent rose from the ocean.

 _This is it – I'm going to die_ , he thought.

" _Gomu Gomu no…PISTOL!"_

And then a rubber fist collided with the sea serpent's face.

Roan turned a look of disbelief on Luffy – skinny, lithe Luffy, who was not made of muscle – and the rubber boy grinned fiercely. "How'd that taste? Stupid fish!" He turned his grin on Roan. "I'm strong, right?"

"You're definitely something," Roan grumbled. He eyed the water but it didn't look like the sea serpent would be coming back. Still, he adjusted their course to take them _well_ away from this part of the sea.

For the most part, they traveled in silence. Roan focused on making sure they got _somewhere_ despite the handicap of having no map. Luffy sat at the bow of the boat and hummed to himself, occasionally asking a random question (most of which Roan responded snappishly to) or singing nonsense songs. Roan whipped up a quick and simple lunch, just a couple sandwiches and fruit. Luffy ate then before Roan put his foot down and threatened him with dismemberment if their supplies didn't last them to the next island.

It was sometime after noon and several hours since they'd set out when they reached their first _real_ problem.

A giant whirlpool.

"Shit," Roan said succinctly.

Luffy, of course, laughing. "That's no good," he said. "We're going to die!"

"You could sound a bit more concerned about that!"

Roan shoved the paddles into Luffy's hands and ordered him to _row like your goddamn life depends on it!_ Meanwhile he adjusted the sails and yanked hard on the wheel in an effort to turn them away from the whirlpool before they got sucked into the currents.

It worked.

They managed to go _around_ the whirlpool instead of getting sucked in.

"That's a relief," Luffy said. "I thought we were going to die for sure!"

Roan glared at the back of his head. Was it possible to burn a hole in someone with the force of a stare?

 _If he wasn't made of rubber, I would hit him._

Second guessing and second thoughts and regretting were old friends to Roan, but he didn't think he'd ever questioned his own decisions as much as he questioned this one. Following this kid, even if it was only until they reached the Grand Line, was already leading Roan into more trouble than being on his own did. And Roan got into a _lot_ of trouble.

"Hey, hey, I see a pirate ship!"

"The Alvida pirates are supposed to have territory somewhere around here."

"The Alvida pirates?"

Roan couldn't make out the Jolly Roger from here and he didn't have a telescope. He explained distractedly to Luffy, "They're one of the more infamous groups in East Blue. Not quite up to Don Krieg or Buggy the Clown's level, but well known enough."

Luffy looked at Roan blankly.

"Luffy. Please tell me you at least know who Krieg and Buggy are."

"Should I?"

Roan's palm smacked against his forehead. He groaned. "If you really want to be a pirate, you should at least know who your rivals are!" he snapped. "They won't matter once you reach the Grand Line but until then you should at least know their names!"

"It's fine, since you know them," Luffy said. "I don't have to worry about fussy stuff like that."

 _That confidence is going to get him killed,_ Roan thought angrily. _Hell, it's going to get_ me _killed. What the hell was I thinking?_

"We should go check it out!"

* * *

The pirate ship _did_ belong to the Alvida Pirates. And they were raiding a cruise ship, a luxurious one at that. Roan craned her neck back, looking up at the ships and trying to gauge how much wealth might be on either one. East Blue was considered the weakest of the seas which made most pirates in it small time. As a result the value of the treasure they hoarded was normally less than two million belli.

 _And that's part of the reason why Arlong's cartographer wants that Grand Line chart Captain Morgan is rumored to have._

"So, Captain, which will it – "

 _"_ _Gomu Gomu no…Rocket!"_

" – never mind," Roan said, glaring up after Luffy.

"You go look at the other ship!" Luffy hollered down at him. "I'm going to go find some meat."

Roan waved him off and turned to survey the pirate ship. Odds were that most of the pirates would be participating in the raid, leaving the bare minimum behind to guard the ship. Roan could see ropes linking the ships together, with chests of goods being swung over periodically. The clash of blades and explosions of gunfire came from the cruise ship, so he felt safer checking out the pirate ship.

Roan pulled a crate out from under his bed. He cracked it open and started digging through the contents. In his time under the Ringmaster Roan had learned many a useful trick; one of them being how to throw a rope with a grappling hook on the end. He gripped a metal prong and yanked, pulling out the hook, rope, and several things tangled up in it all in one go.

 _This brings back memories of the good ol' days,_ Roan thought, untangling the rope and grappling hook. _Disco used to beat us if we couldn't throw a grappling hook right._

He swung the hook to test the weight. It'd been a while since he last used one. The past couple of years Roan had been – not quite _lawful_ because he consorted with pirates and mobsters – but not neck deep in criminal activity. Hell, he had friendly sort-of friends in the _marines_. That was about as close to legal as Roan got these days.

And now he'd joined a pirate crew.

Roan shook off the thought of how Smoker was going to _kill him dead_ and let the grappling hook fly. It arced through the air and landed with a dull _thud_ on the deck. He pulled the rope until the hook was caught on the railing, yanked hard to test the grip, and once he was satisfied started climbing.

There were some skills Roan kept in tip-top shape. His flexibility, climbing skills, and acrobatic abilities were just a few examples of the ones practiced relentlessly when he had the chance. The Ringmaster had been a tyrant and a monster, but Roan could almost be grateful for the skills he'd given him.

Roan had climbed up near the back of the ship. He unhooked the grappling hook and tossed it back down to the boat. He hoped Luffy wouldn't jump on it when he came back; bloodstains were a bitch to clean up.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?"

No time to hesitate. Roan threw himself forward, bending low and twisting so his shoulder slammed into the pirate's midsection. They slammed into the wall, the force of Roan's blow knocking the breath out of him. Roan pulled back enough to grip his shirt in one hand and his hair in the other, slammed his face into the railing and tossed him overboard.

"HEY!"

"Shit," Roan cursed, throwing himself back as a sword cut through the space he'd been in.

'What did you do to Jackal?!" the new pirate shrieked. "I'll kick your ass for that!"

Roan drew his own sword just in time to block a swing that would've cleaved his head from his shoulders. Their blades locked together in a clash of steel.

Amongst swordsmen there was an unspoken honor. If you drew a sword, you fought with a sword and a sword alone. Fists and feet had no place in a duel of blades.

Roan never did put much stock in honor.

He swung his leg up as hard as he could and the Alvida pirate dropped like a stone, a shrieking keen escaping him as his sword clattered to the ground and his hands clamped over his crotch. Roan took advantage of his position to kick him in the face. There was a sickening crack and the pirate slumped over unconscious and with a bloody nose.

Roan stepped around them and sheathed his sword, shooting an annoyed glance at the cruise ship where the shouts of excited pirates, swords clashing, and guns firing filled the air with a cacophony of noise. The cannon fire had died down before he and Luffy reached the ships, thankfully, but there was still an excess of noise in the air preventing Roan from hearing anyone coming up behind him until they made themselves known.

That was a problem Roan didn't like to have. He put his back to the wall in an effort to avoid it, glancing from right to left as he crept closer to the bow of the ship.

It was just as he was going around the corner that he saw her.

Arlong's cartographer and the eighteen year old girl Roan had systematically sabotaged for years.

And coming up behind her was an Alvida pirate with a sword raised high to cleave her in two.

Roan threw himself at the pirate's back with a warning show to Nami, getting his arms around the bastard's throat and putting him in a headlock. The sword clattered to the ground. Grubby hands clawed at his hair and his arms, desperate to keep from suffocating, but Roan was relentless. He grunted with the pirate slammed him back against the wall.

But he didn't let go.

After what felt like hours but was only minutes the pirate slumped. Roan held his position for a little longer just in case it was a bluff and then released him. The pirate slumped to the ground unconscious but still breathing.

"YOU!"

Roan leaned back just enough to avoid the bō staff that attempted to take his head off. Enraged brown eyes tried to burn holes in his skull. Roan kept his expression placid and gripped the staff tightly, pressing his weight down on it enough to keep Nami from pulling it back up and taking another swing at him.

"What are you doing here?" she snarled through grit teeth. "You damn bastard! I won't let you have the treasure this time! It's _MINE!"_

Roan ignored the part of him that flinched from her justified rage. He had experience with killing his better instincts. The moral high ground was not a place where the desperate walked.

"I'm not after your treasure," Roan said. "Contrary to your belief, the world doesn't revolve around you dollface."

He released the staff and stepped back. Nami didn't take another swing at his head, but she looked like she wanted to. The anger in his expression might have stirred guilt in another person. Roan forced himself not to care. He did what he had to do to survive. That was what he _always_ did.

"And yet," she hissed. "And yet you always, _always_ ruin my heists! If you hadn't existed – if you'd never been around I would have _had it by now!"_

Roan shrugged, dismissive. "Not my problem," he said.

Nami let out a wordless scream of frustration.

"I'm not saving your hide again if you attack more of Alvida's men."

"I ddin't ask you to save me the first time!" she snapped. "I could have handled it."

"Oh, yes, you were handling it so well," Roan said sardonically. "That's why you hadn't noticed him."

She flushed. Roan turned away from her dismissively. If she was here, there wouldn't be anything worthwhile left on the ship. He might as well go back to the boat and wait for Luffy.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my boat," Roan said over his shoulder. "I don't have any reason to be here if you're already looting the place."

It was funny, though. Roan had been going to Shells Town to sabotage her and yet, here she was, on the ships Luffy wanted to explore. He stopped, a thought occurring to him. Nami wasn't just a cartographer; she was also a navigator – the best in the business if Arlong could be believed. And she wanted to go to the Grand Line for better looting opportunities…how convenient.

Roan turned back around, smirking. "Oi thief, I've got a proposition for you."

Nami narrowed her eyes. "What."

"You're looking for a way to the Grand Line, right? Join up with me and my captain as navigator."

"So you can steal my treasure when my back's turned? Yeah right! Like I'd trust a gold digging bounty hunter's words."

Roan propped a hand on his hip, his smirk widening. "I've got better things to do than steal candy from babies, sweetheart," he drawled just to be irritating. "Besides, the captain's an idiot; you won't have any problems keeping all your gold to yourself."

She scoffed. "This is just another ploy to ruin my heist." She flapped her hands in a dismissive manner, saying in a condescending tone, "Now run along, Bounty Hunter, and go be a good dog to your new master. I'll send Arlong your resignation, shall I?"

Roan remained unruffled by the sharp barbs. He'd heard worse, been called worse, and _done_ worse. Still, he was surprised she knew he worked for Arlong. He'd been under the impression that she didn't know. Although considering Hachi's tendency to blurt things out without thinking maybe that was just his inner optimist speaking.

Instead of taking offense he smiled with too many teeth and an air of threat that he'd learned under the Ringmaster. "Please do," he said pleasantly.

He was about to say more when the shouts from the cruise ship changed. These were screams of rage and shock and fear. Roan jerked his gaze around as cannon fire sounded from some distance away. A marine ship had come.

" _ROOOAAANNN!"_

And above it all was Luffy's voice.

Roan considered his options for split second. Then swooped in and snatched Nami up over his shoulder, ignoring her screech of indignant rage and the hands pounding and clawing at his back. Some part of him was alarmed by how _light_ she was, but most of him was focused on keeping a hold of her and dragging the bag of treasure behind him.

It was slow going. Between Nami's weight and the treasure they moved at what felt like a snail's pace. And the sound of cannon fire got closer. The ship shuddered as one hit. Nami stopped fighting.

"Hurry up!" she shrieked. "If you drop a single piece of my treasure, I'll drown you!"

"I'd be better off dropping you," Roan snarled, pushing himself as hard as he could. There was another cannon shot, another loud bang, another shudder through the whole boat. They reached the spot where Roan had climbed up and a quick glance over the side revealed Luffy already in the boat staring up at them with a tense expression. It relaxed as soon as he saw Roan.

"ROAN!"

Roan grinned. "Got a present for you, Captian!" he hollered back. "CATCH!"

And without hesitation he tossed Nami over the side.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Nami landed safely in Luffy's arms. Roan hauled her back of treasure onto his back and climbed onto the railing, taking only a moment to judge the distance before he jumped.

It was a painful landing. He couldn't roll with it, not with the treasure on his back and the small space available. That meant that even though he braced himself the landing jolted him down to his bones.

There wasn't time to falter. Roan dumped the treasure to the side, ignored Nami's indignant screech, and rushed to get them moving. He noted the unfamiliar face, pink hair and glasses, still lingering baby fat on a too thin face. The kid was good at following orders though and experienced. Between the two of them they managed to catch a good wind and Nami begrudgingly directed them to a current that would take them away from the confrontation behind them.

* * *

"Roronoa Zoro?"

"That's a gusty goal, Captain," Roan said, biting into an apple. "What're you going to do if he says no? Pester him into it like you did me?"

"It depends on if he's a good guy or not," Luffy said. "If he's a bad guy I don't want him on my crew."

Nami scoffed. "Then what're you doing with _him_ on your crew?" she asked, pointing at Roan. "He's the worst of the wrost!"

Roan sneered at her.

Luffy frowned at them both. "Roan's a good person," he said firmly, crossing his arms.

"I told you he was an idiot," Roan muttered, taking another vicious bite of his apple.

Coby, the cabin boy Luffy rescued, looked confused. "Roan-san, do you not consider yourself a good person? Even though you saved Nami-san?"

"Saved me? He _kidnapped_ me!"

"And next time I'll leave you to go down with the ship, so be grateful dollface, because I could've just dumped you and your treasure in the ocean – Arlong does pay so well for sabotage, after all."

Nami went white with rage.

"You _son of a bitch –_ "

"My mother was a female but she wasn't a dog," Roan interrupted. He took another bite of his apple, ignoring Nami's rage. He flicked a glance at his captain. Luffy was still frowning at them. "So we're going to Shells Town?"

"Yep. I want to meet Zoro."

Roan finished off her apple and tossed the core over the side. "Good. We can grab the Grand Line chart Morgan's rumored to have while we're there."

"Not if I get there first," Nami said. She tossed her hair and smiled winningly. "You don't' stand a chance of beating me to that chart."

Roan rolled his eyes. " _Or_ you could just join up with us," he suggested in what he thought was a reasonable tone. "We need a navigator and you're the best in East Blue."

Nami scoffed at him disdainfully. "I'm not working with _pirates_. Let alone _you._ "

Roan decided not to comment on the hypocrisy in that statement. So long as she carried Arlong's mark Nami was a pirate. She could hate it all she wanted but willing or not that was the simple truth.

'What's wrong with pirates?" Luffy asked.

"Pirates killed someone close to me." Nami clenched her fists, staring at Luffy with defiance. "I'll never be a pirate!"

"Oh. I see."

"Well either way you're stuck with us until we reach Shells Town," Roan said. "That's, what, two days travel?"

"A day and a half at the slowest speed, Roan-san," Coby corrected. "If we continue at this speed we should reach Shells Town in half that time."

"And then we have to find Roronoa Zoro so Luffy can decide whether or not he's a good guy."

"He was arrested by the navy. That makes him a bad guy!"

 _That's dumb,_ Roan thought but didn't say. The marines weren't the epitome of good they portrayed themselves to be. Roan had heard things about Impel Down, the revolutionaries had told horror stories about the Buster Call. They turned blind eyes to the human shops on Sabaody and still preached about justice.

Sometimes Roan wondered why a man like Smoker worked for an organization like that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **"** **Shells Town"**

 _Twelve Years Ago_

 _1510_

 _"_ _Stay quiet, Roan," Nora breathed in the little girl's ear, eyes locked on the alley mouth. They could hear shouting and gunshots coming from outside as pirates tore through the town. Roan whimpered and pressed herself against Nora's side, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her ears as a woman's screams pierced the air._

 _Demented laughter followed soon after. Gunshots and an explosion of cannon fire heralded a house across the street went up in flames. Nora wrapped herself around Roan and prayed for the nightmare to end quickly._

 _Pirates ran past the alley. They dragged screaming children behind them. Nora bit her lip until she tasted blood. This world was a terrible place._

 _They just wanted to go home._

* * *

 **Present Day**

They pulled straws to determine the watch schedule that night. To no one's surprise (except perhaps Luffy's) Nami got the last watch, giving her a night of uninterrupted sleep. Roan drew the second watch and Luffy the third. Coby grabbed a blanket from the closet and settled in at the bow, leaving the rest of them to figure out sleeping arrangements.

"I'm the only woman on this ship. I have a right to privacy!"

"And it's _my_ ship sweetheart, so what I say goes."

"I'm not sharing space with you two."

"Then sleep on the deck and share space with Coby," Roan said. He crossed his arms and attempted to glare her into submission.

There was a loud snore.

They both look down.

Luffy was sprawled out on the floor underneath the table, fast asleep.

"…I'm going to kill him," Nami said serenely.

"That's my favorite blanket he's using. If anyone's going to kill him, _I_ am."

They shared an annoyed look and Roan let out an aggravated sigh. "You know what, take the damn bed. I don't care."

He grabbed another blanket and tossed it at her, taking one for him and finding a space on the floor with his back against the wall. Nami made herself comfortable on the bed and appeared to be out like a light within minutes.

 _That's some damn fine acting, Thief. The Ringmaster would've coveted you._

Not a nice thought. Arlong was a cruel master but he offered a faint hope of freedom. The Ringmaster would've snatched Nami up and made certain that she never, ever wanted to escape. It was what he did best.

Roan tried to shut off his thoughts. The Ringmaster was dead and had been for years. Yes, his teachings lingered (useful and cursed) and Roan knew he would never escape them. Some part of him would always be that desperate little girl struggling to stay afloat in a world trying to drown her.

 _Damn it._

Roan threw the blanket off and stood up. There were strangers on his boat, one who had every reason to hate his guts, and he couldn't shut off the memories that were best left forgotten. None of that was conductive to sleep.

If he couldn't get to sleep he might as well make himself useful.

* * *

Coby was surprised when, not even half an hour after his watch had begun, Roan-san returned to the deck with an aggravated expression and threw himself down beside Coby in a disgruntled heap. Luffy-san's first mate pulled a metal case out of his pocket and flicked it open, pulling out a cigarette and sticking it in his mouth but no lighting it.

"You smoke, Roan-san?"

"I've been trying to quit," the former bounty hunter said, "but I can't seem to manage it."

There was an old bitterness to the words that Coby didn't understand. Roan-san was an enigma. He argued with Nami-san, taunted her and poked her, and he was Luffy-san's first mate but didn't hold any visible loyalty to the rubber boy. Coby felt wary of him despite Luffy-san's reassurances that Roan was a good person. Could he really be if he denied it himself?

"Roan-san…"

"What?"

"Why does Nami-san hate you so much?"

Roan-san tensed. Coby might not have noticed it, except he'd become adept at reading body language to protect himself from Alvida's ire. He thought Roan-san might not answer. Maybe his question had been too intrusive.

"Because I work for the man who killed her mother," Roan-san said with an odd note to his voice. Coby didn't' know him well enough to tell if remorse was the emotion coloring his voice or not. He thought it might have been.

"You work for pirates?"

"Some people call me the Mercenary, Coby," Roan-san said and this time it was amusement that colored his words. "I'll do just about any job if it pays well."

Coby tried not to let his horror show. Roan-san let out a low, bitter laugh.

"You get desperate enough and you start toeing the line. Then you put a toe across it. Before long all of you is across the line and you look back wondering how you got there." He pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette, taking a deep drag from it. "I used to think there were lines I wouldn't cross," he said, "but that was a long time ago."

"Go to bed, kid. I'll take your watch."

Coby didn't hesitate to obey.

* * *

Roan watched Coby disappear into the cabin with mixed feelings. He didn't want to get close to these people, but he didn't want to push them away either. How could he explain the desperation that pushed him to the edge again, and again, and _again?_ The cloying hopelessness that threatened to drag him under and the stubbornness that pushed him to keep going?

Once upon a time he'd been an idealistic kid like Coby. Like Luffy. Like Nami, even.

That kid always felt like a stranger to Roan.

He took another drag from his cigarette. It tasted like ashes on his tongue.

* * *

 _Roan was back at the circus._

 _Bright colored fabric and painted on smiles surrounded her. It was something straight out of the childhood she could barely remember but twisted. The shadows were long and hungry, threatening to devour every scrap of light. The reflections that looked back from the house of mirrors were things of nightmare._

 _The Ringmaster was there._

 _He was smiling with sharp pointed teeth, lips smeared with a red that drip drip dripped down his chin. Iron shackles clamped around his wrists with shattered chains dangling from them. His clothes that he'd taken so much pride in (the finest silks and velvets in East Blue, worthy of kings) were tattered and charred in places._

 _He stepped towards her and opened his mouth as if to speak – but all that came out was a wet gurgle._

 _He held his hands out. In them was a collar, one Roan was painfully familiar with._

 _A slave collar._

 _(Tick tick tick BOOM)_

 _A pipe protruded from his chest. The Ringmaster dissolved into shadows and in his place –_

 _A little girl with a bloody face and a macabre smile – "What is freedom, Onee-chan?"_

 _A little boy with sad eyes and a gap in his front tooth – "I want to see the sky, Onee-chan!"_

 _A woman, emaciated and bitter, standing with her arms out as if to embrace someone – "Tick tick tick BOOM!"_

 _A man, hunched over and crying – "My boy! My boy! THEY TOOK HIM!"_

 _And always the question, repeating over and over…_

 _WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE US?_

* * *

Roan didn't wake up with a gasp or bolt upright from the terror of his dream. He sat up slowly and curled in on himself, aware of every movement Coby, Nami, and Luffy made. They were all three awake and going by the crumbs around Luffy's mouth they'd been awake long enough to have breakfast. Nami and Coby were discussing navigation while Luffy interjected with curious questions or demands – like asking Nami to join his crew.

 _I'm sensing a pattern here._

"There's breakfast," Nami said, noticing he was awake. She gestured to a place set on the small kitchenette counter and covered in foil.

Roan rubbed at his eyes. He felt like he hadn't slept a wink. Not an uncommon occurrence really. He kicked off his blankets and stood up, doing a quick series of stretches to limber up his muscles. Maybe later he'd get around to doing one of his training routines.

"It's not poisoned, is it?"

"I'm not a murderer," Nami responded coldly, "even if it _was_ tempting."

Roan snorted; he'd bet good money Nami had been the cause of at least one death in the past even if she was unaware of it. And if she wasn't, then she'd been luckier than Roan. He pulled the foil off the plate, surprised to find eggs, toast and fruit. He'd half expected gruel.

"Thanks."

"…you're welcome."

It took effort not to scarf the food down like he was starving. It wasn't anything special, but he was hungry and it was good. At least nothing tasted off. If Nami had poisoned it, she'd used something undetectable to his senses.

There were probably a lot of those. Poison wasn't something the Ringmaster had taught.

"How long until we reach Shells Town?"

"An hour or two, Roan-san," Coby said. "We caught a good breeze that cut our travel time down."

That was good news. Roan didn't want to be stuck on a boat with Nami any longer than he had too. He couldn't shake the feeling that she would try and kill him in his sleep.

 _If only that was the reason for the nightmare._

* * *

They reached Shells Town right on schedule.

"I'm hungry."

"We just ate an hour ago, how can you be hungry again?"

"I just am. I want meat."

Roan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. There's a restaurant up the street, let's go."

"Catch you later, losers," Nami said, striding away and flipping her hand at them dismissively. "It's been fun."

"Eh? Where are you going Nami-san?"

"Probably to scout out the base," Roan said. "Don't get caught sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart, _Bastard."_

"Keep speaking sweet nothings in my ear and I'll start to blush."

Luffy laughed. "Shishishi, you two are funny!"

"I live to amuse," Roan deadpanned, pushing Luffy up the street. "And I meant what I said, thief; don't get caught. It'd be a pain to break you out of jail again."

"The only reason I was in jail was because of you!" Nami hissed, looking around quickly to make sure no one had heard.

Coby looked scandalized by the topic of conversation. He took a step away from Nami (though that could have been the fear of her fists she'd engrained on the poor kid; Luffy could escape the damage, but the rest of them weren't so lucky) and looked ready to bolt if she showed the slightest sign of violence.

"It could've been worse – you _could_ have a wanted poster."

She very nearly had, too, but Roan had called in a favor from the local kingpin Bartolomeo. _That_ had been a steep price to pay. Bartolomeo was not a nice man. He was not _kind_ and about the only good thing that could be said for him was that he never broke his deals. He had a bastardized form of honor and was one of the only people in this fucked up world that Roan trusted in any way, shape, or form.

That deal had set Roan's goals back to negative one hundred. He was still paying the debt off.

"And I suppose I have you to thank for that, too?"

"Yep."

All the money he'd spent years saving, all the favors Bartolomeo owed him, Arlong's grudging respect, his ability to walk the streets as Roan instead of Roan; all of that had been given up to keep Nami out of jail and there were days – dark, terrible days – when Roan regretted it.

But he couldn't change it and life went on. Dwelling would get him nowhere.

"Is that the restaurant, Roan-san?"

"Yeah. Come on thief, you're coming too."

"What? Why?"

"You just sailed into Shells Town on my boat – you owe me, so you're paying for our meals."

"That's only because you _tossed me overboard!"_

"So? You're still here thanks to us, so pay up."

"Like hell, bastard!"

They found an empty table in the corner, Roan shoving Luffy into a chair and then pushing Nami into another. The thief was going to pay for their food whether she liked it or not. She owed him.

"Roan-san, maybe you shouldn't – "

Roan clamped a hand on Coby's shoulder, halting his words. "A lesson, Coby; if you don't stand your ground, you'll lose it. And I happen to know that Nami sniffed out a few of my cash stashes last night during her watch." He smirked. "So really, I'm paying."

" _Some_ of your cash stashes?" Nami repeated with a greedy gleam in her eyes. "There are more?"

"Well, I don't know…and you won't either since you're not coming with us. It's a shame really. I think I had…maybe two million belli? Almost three."

"Sign me up, Onii-chan!"

"So you'll be our navigator?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Sure, sure," Nami said, waving his words off. "But it's only a temporary partnership. I definitely won't be a pirate."

Roan could almost see the belli signs glittering in her eyes.

It would put him out several million belli but most of his money was safe in his apartment at Loguetown anyways.

(Still, he had lost his mind wanting her around any longer than necessary.)

"Whoo! We've got a navigator!" Luffy cheered.

Roan echoed him with little enthusiasm.

(He'd lost his damn mind.)

They ordered enough food to feed a small crowd. Luffy's bottomless stomach meant he could eat enough food for twenty men and Roan was no slouch in that department either. Coby, who looked like a good stiff wind would blow him over, didn't eat hardly anything. The kid needed to see a doctor; Roan wouldn't put it past Alvida to have starved him for weeks on end as punishment for imagined slights.

"We'll go our separate ways here," Luffy said to Coby when he'd finished off his last plate. "You do your best to be a great marine, alright?"

To Roan's horror, Coby's eyes filled with tears. "I will," he said, pushing his glasses up and wiping his arm across his eyes. "Luffy-san, thank you so much! You have to become a great pirate too, though we'll be enemies in the future."

Roan eyeballed the kid and his emotional blubbering. He edged away subtly, ignoring Nami's snickering at his discomfort. Crying people made him uncomfortable. Happy tears especially weirded him out. Why would you cry if you were happy? It made no sense.

"Do you think Roronoa is still being kept at the base?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Everyone around them bolted away, staring at their little group in abject terror. The sudden silence in the restaurant was jarring.

"What the hell…?" Nami whispered.

"M-maybe we shouldn't mention his name here," Coby stammered. "He must have done something really terrible."

"Looks like it," Roan said neutrally. There were a lot of terrified faces around them. And none of the people of Shells Town would meet his eyes. Their gazes skittered away even as they kept a large area of clear space between them and Luffy's group. As if they had a contagious disease.

"I saw a notice on the streets about Captain Morgan – "

The reaction was the same. People leaped back and away, avoided looking at their group, skirted around them and exuded an aura of terror.

Nami dropped a wad of cash on the table. "We should go," she said, looking around with uneasily. "I don't like this."

"Something about this is fishy as fuck," Roan agreed, "but it's not our business, so let's go."

"What an interesting restaurant," Luffy said, laughing. "We should come here again."

Roan shoved him out of the restaurant. "We won't have time. Even if we don't bust Roronoa out we're still stealing from a marine captain. Once we have the map we're leaving."

And the faster that happened, the better. Roan couldn't remember hearing anything too bad about Morgan which was suspicious in itself. The marines were a controversial organization; sometimes they were the heroes and sometimes they were the villains. It all depended on who you talked to and how they lived. Port towns sometimes made their biggest profits from pirates and when marines interfered it could throw whole islands out of balance economically.

Loguetown was one example. The people relied on Smoker to protect them, but by arresting all the pirates who came to the city Smoker had put quite a few places out of business. Bars, taverns, weapon shops, supply stores…all of them relied on pirates for business. Without that income they were forced to shut down.

To some Smoker was a hero. To others he was a villain.

It was all a matter of perspective.

* * *

The marine base stood out like a sore thumb.

Nami was not impressed.

" _This_ is the base?" She stared up at the _bright blue_ building with growing incredulity. "I don't remember the base in Loguetown being so…ostentatious."

'That's because it isn't," the Bastard said with a wry tilt to his words. He looked up and down the wall surrounding the base, frowning. "Loguetown's is better guarded too, remember? I don't even see a chore boy around."

Nami remembered. Loguetown's marines had been annoyingly skilled. That was the reason she'd gotten caught. If they'd been even a drop less competent she would have escaped scot free and the Bastard would have taken the blame.

Instead she'd been forced to rely on him to get her out.

Coby wrung his hands anxiously. "M-maybe there's something happening today?"

Luffy, the idiot, didn't pay it any mind. He scrambled up the wall like a monkey and shaded his eyes from the sun, looking around. "Demon, demon, where's the demon?"

"Luffy-san, I don't think – "

"I see him!"

"While you idiots try to recruit a _pirate hunter_ , I'm going to go find that chart," Nami said as Luffy dashed off along the wall with Coby hot on his heels. "See ya~!"

" _Hold it."_

A hand clamped down over her shoulder. Nami twisted out of the Bastard's hold, aiming a kick at his groin. The Bastard danced out of the way with infuriating ease, wearing a mocking half-smile.

"Ah-ah-ah," he said and wagged his finger chidingly, "none of that now, dollface."

" _Don't_ call me dollface, you - !"

"Bastard, yes, I've heard," he interrupted. "Do you really think I'm going to let you out of my sight?"

"If you want the map, you won't have a choice!"

"There's always a choice and I'd prefer the one that doesn't end with me stabbed in the back."

Nami didn't fail to notice the singular there. She wondered if Luffy had any idea the sort of person he'd accepted as his first mate. Did he understand that the Bastard would stab him in the back with a smile if it furthered the Bastard's own goals?

"Don't walk in front of me then," Nami said as evenly as she could, shoulder checking him as she walked towards the base. She heard and aggravated sounding sigh and then the Bastard fell into step beside her, expression irritated and one hand on his sword.

This would be interesting.

* * *

The base was easy pickings. Nami and Roan caught a lucky break in the first room and found a couple of spare uniforms to wear. From then on their progress from room to room was unimpeded. It made things simple, but also _boring_ , and Roan found himself with far too much time to wonder about Nami's intentions. He didn't care if she decided to stab Luffy in the back. As long as she waited until _after_ they'd reached the Grand Line he would look the other way and pretend it never happened.

If she decided to make her move _before_ then…well.

Best not to think about that until it happened.

Luckily enough Roan had years of experience not thinking about things.

(He didn't think about home.

He didn't think about Nora.

He didn't think about a lot of things and every year the list just grew longer.)

"This is it," Nami said, looking into the next room. "Morgan's office."

The office was plain, the only decorations being monuments to Morgan's fantastic ego. Roan eyed a small statuette with distaste. There was a limit to the amount of self adulation one could show before it became tasteless and tacky.

Morgan had surpassed that limit exponentially.

"I found the safe," Nami said from across the room, pushing a few barrels away from the wall.

"How long will it take you to crack it?"

"I grabbed a stethoscope from the infirmary we passed, so not long," she said, pressing it against the safe and turning the dial.

Roan started digging through the drawers looking for dirt on Morgan or any other marines. People like Bartolomeo would pay good money for blackmail on marines, never knowing when such information might be useful. There was an entire market for information like that.

"Aha!"

Nami opened the safe triumphantly, flashing a victory sign at Roan as she pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. She unrolled it…and groaned.

"Damn it!"

"What?"

"We've been had," she said. "Or Morgan's a bigger idiot than he looks." She turned the paper around so Roan could see the pirate mark and the message. "Buggy got here first."

Roan grinned. "What a coincidence," he said, holding up a sheath of papers from Morgan's desk, "because here's a report of recent pirating activity around Orange Island. Guess who the perpetrator is?"

Nami returned his grin. "Buggy the Clown?"

Roan flashed a thumbs-up. "Got it in one, sweetheart," he said. "That makes things – "

The door to the office opened, admitting two marines. They froze on the threshold, taking in Roan and Nami, dressed in marine uniforms and rummaging through Morgan's office.

In that instant Nami and Roan reacted.

Nami produced some rope from who knows where. Roan charged the marines, decking one across the face while Nami handled the other. It was the work of seconds to have them tied up and gagged on the floor.

"Don't worry," Roan said as they shoved them in a closet, "I'm sure someone will be along at _some_ point to untie you."

Nami blew a kiss their way. "See ya~!"

The two of them made a good team when they weren't at each other's throats. Roan was man enough to admit that at least, even if only in the privacy of his own head. He moved down the hall, Nami in step beside him with Buggy's message shoved into her belt, and began checking the next rooms.

It was the fourth room down on the next floor up where he hit the jackpot.

There was a _meitou._

"Holy shit," he breathed, picking up the white blade with utmost care.

Nami crossed her arms, unimpressed. "It's a sword."

Roan looked at her disbelievingly. "It's a _meitou_ ," he said and ran a hand down the sheath. "A named blade. The _Wadou Ichimonji_. This sword is worth twenty million belli at _least_."

He couldn't fathom what such a sword was doing here. Tashigi, the swords freak, kept an obsessive eye out for the named blades and Roan knew that this beauty had not been in the possession of the marines.

He looked around the room. It was girly, frilly; not the room of a serious swordsman. Yet there were three swords…

…oh.

"This belongs to Roronoa," he stated.

"How do you know? It might just belong to whoever owns this room."

"I have a…friend who's obsessed with swords. This is not the room of a swordsman. And I've heard Roronoa fights using _Santoryū._ These are definitely his." He picked up the other two and attached them to his belt, making a face at the added weight. "I'll give them to Luffy; maybe he can use them as a bargaining chip against Roronoa."

Part of him was tempted to take the sword and run. He could sell it and finally have enough for his own ship and maybe even a crew. Then he wouldn't need Luffy. But _Wadou Ichimonji_ was well cared for, loved, even.

 _I've been spending too much time with Tashigi,_ he thought in resignation, _to care about a hunk of metal._

Nami looked out the window. "I can see Roronoa," she said. "I don't see Luffy or Coby. He must have said no."

"We'd better get back. If Roronoa said no, maybe his swords will change his mind."


	4. Chapter 4

**ATTENTION: New content has been added to previous chapters. I'd recommend reading through them again to make sure you don't miss anything.**

 **I do not own One Piece. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 **"** **Pirate Hunter Zoro"**

 _Two Years Ago_

 _1520_

 _Roan was going to kill the thief._

 _She was going to kill her_ dead _and no one was going to stop her._

 _Loguetown was on high alert. The marines patrolled the streets. Roan didn't know how long she had to get Nami out, but it couldn't be more than a couple hours. They'd ship the thief off on a prison ship and then Roan would be left to face Arlong's wrath. The fishman would rip her to shreds for losing him his precious cartographer._

 _Damn it._

 _Roan ignored the guilt. She shoved it deep,_ deep _down and pretended it didn't exist. Nami had brought this on herself. Roan was only helping because if Arlong killed her she'd never make it to the Grand Line and she'd never find Nora._

 _She'd never get her chance to destroy Joker._

 _Cashing in all the favor Bartolomeo owed her wasn't going to be enough. Good thing she had a pretty little nest egg saved up._

 _Nami owed her for this._

* * *

 **Present Day**

They managed to get out of the base without getting caught and met up with Luffy and Coby in front of the restaurant. At some point the two had made the acquaintance of a little girl named Rika who'd gone to the execution grounds to feed Zoro some homemade onigiri.

"I didn't ask him to join yet, but he's definitely a good guy," Luffy said. "He ate the entire rice ball Rika made that the bastard son stomped on. He said it was really good, too."

Rika beamed. "I'm so happy!"

"Is he really as bad as everyone says?" Coby wondered.

"He's not a bad guy!" Rika protested. "Everyone in town is afraid of him, but he hasn't done anything wrong. He got thrown into prison because of me. Captain Morgan's son had a mean dog that attacked me. It was running loose in town and scaring everybody! But Onii-chan saved me."

"So he was only arrested because he killed that kid's pet?"

"Yes!"

"That makes more sense," Coby said. "Zoro only goes after people with bounties and there's nothing illegal about that."

"Bounty Hunters still get a bad rap, though," Roan pointed out. "We're considered vigilantes and the government doesn't condone vigilantism even if it's not _technically_ illegal."

"People like _you_ belong in jail," Nami said. "Zoro's not a saint, but he's leagues above someone like you. You're more of a mercenary than a bounty hunter."

"Ow," Roan deadpanned, clutching his chest, "that hurts. Right in the heart, dollface."

"You don't have a heart."

"Does she have to be our navigator?" Roan asked Luffy. "Because I can find someone else. _Anyone_ else."

"I don't want anyone else for our navigator."

"Hahahaha! You're not bowing your heads low enough, scum! I'll tell my father on you!"

The townspeople got on their knees and pressed their heads to the ground. Roan was reminded of the Ringmaster and grimaced, looking away.

"Do you want to be arrested like Roronoa Zoro? We're going to hold a public execution for him in three days. We'll make an example of him. I can hardly wait!"

Roan gripped Luffy's shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid," he warned. He looked at Helmeppo distastefully and rested his other hand on the hilt of the well loved _Wadou Ichimonji_. "We'll get him out today so long as you _don't do anything stupid."_

"He made a promise."

"People break promises all the time."

"They shouldn't."

"You! Why aren't you kneeling? I'll tell my daddy!"

Luffy pulled himself free of Roan's hold. "You promised Zoro a month!" he accused.

"What? Where did you hear about that?" Helmeppo laughed nasally. "That promise was just a joke! He's a stupid animal for believing that."

Roan should have expected it when Luffy punched Helmeppo. It was enough of a surprise, though, that he could only stare dumbly.

"Luffy-san!" Coby shouted. "Calm down!"

"He's scum!" Luffy snarled.

Roan looked at Nami and found a mirror expression of his own astonishment. Luffy's reaction was over the top. People broke promises all the time. That was a fact of life, of human nature.

How could someone who wanted to be a pirate be so _good hearted?_

"You want to make an enemy of the marines?!"

Then again, it wasn't hard to be better than a spoiled brat like Helmeppo.

"I've decided!" Luffy declared. "I'm going to get Zoro to join my pirate crew."

* * *

Roronoa Zoro looked like shit.

"He's been here for _three weeks?!"_

'That's what that bastard son said."

Nami stared at Roronoa. "Is he even human?"

Roan stared at the beaten, starved form. The stink of feces and sweat could be smelt all the way from the wall. Despite that Roronoa didn't look broken or shamed. He hung from the post proud as a peacock, a stubborn promise in his eyes.

"His will must be incredible," Roan said. "Humans aren't meant to survive longer than three days without water."

Roronoa was going to need watching if they convinced him to join. Three weeks without water or food, being beaten every day by Helmeppo and his men, would put him at a disadvantage. They didn't have a doctor and from the way the townspeople reacted none here would want to treat him. He'd have to settle with what little first aid Roan and Nami knew.

Well, whatever he decided they were getting him out. Luffy wanted Roronoa for his crew and so long as Roan's interests aligned with Luffy's he would follow the young captain's will.

They dropped into the execution yard one after the other. Roan staggered slightly under the additional weight of the three katana. Roronoa zeroed in on the swords immediately.

"You! What are you doing with those katana?!"

"I ought to be asking you that question," Roan retorted. "How could you let an idiot like Morgan's son handle these beauties? The white one especially! Do you have any idea how much it's worth? What would you have done if he'd broken it? If you care so much about these katana you shouldn't let idiots like that handle them!"

"What I do with my katana is my business," Roronoa said.

Luffy linked his fingers behind his head. "You must care about these swords a lot," he said. "If I give them back to you, join my crew!"

"That's dirty!"

Coby ignored them all and began to work at the knots binding Roronoa to the post.

"What are you doing?" the Pirate Hunter asked bewilderedly. "If they catch you freeing me, you'll be killed!"

"I don't care," Coby said defiantly. "They imprisoned you unfairly. I can't stand marines acting like this!" There was a new determination in the small cabin boy's stance. "I am going to become a marine just like Luffy-sand is going to be the Pirate King and Nami-san is going to buy her village and Roan-san is going to the Grand Line!"

"Pirate King?! Do you even know what that means?"

"Pirate King is the freest person in the world," Luffy said with an odd solemnity to his voice and a strange half smile on his face. "I promised Shanks I would do it, even if I die trying."

 _Even if I die trying, huh?_ Roan could understand that.

BANG!

Coby and Nami screamed. Roan lurched forward and caught the cabin boy as he fell backwards. Blood stained his clothes and covered his arm.

"I've been shot!" he shrieked. "I'm dying, I'm dying!"

"Where'd that come from?" Nami squealed.

Roan pointed. "There, on the roof."

Luffy made to run off but Roan reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. "Don't go running off," he snapped. "Nami, wrap cabin boy's arm." He settled Coby down gently and stood up, glaring towards the roof. "If you want a fight, Captain, just wait here."

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Okay."

"You should run for your life," Roronoa said, craning his neck back to look at the base. "They're almost here."

"No," Coby huffed, pushing himself upright. "We – we have to get you free as soon as possible!"

"Quit moving!" Nami snapped. She ripped pieces of his shirt into strips and tied them around his arm as a makeshift bandages.

'There is no need to worry about me. As long as I can last a month, they'll set me free."

"They won't set you free!"

"They plan to execute you in three days," Roan said in a milt tone, as though commenting on the weather.

"What? That bastard promised me if I lasted a month he would set me free!"

Luffy frowned and crossed his arms. "He lied," he said. "I should have hit him harder."

Roronoa stared. "What did you say?"

Roan drew his sword. "We don't have time to explain everything," he said. "If I free you, help us fight off the marines. I'll even give you your swords back."

Roronoa started to grin. "Not going to blackmail me into joining your crew?"

"It's Luffy's crew, not mine, and I don't really give a damn if you join or not," Roan said. He slid his blade carefully between the pirate hunter's arm and the wooden post. "You'll have to take your refusal up with the Captain."

"Roan, hurry," Luffy said suddenly. "They're here."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" the marines shouted. They leveled their guns at the group. "Those of you who've betrayed Captain Morgan…DIE HERE!"

Several things happened at once.

Roan sliced through Roronoa's bonds.

Luffy ran forward.

The marines fired.

 _BANG-BANG-BANG!_

"LUFFY!"

The bullets slammed into the rubber boy. Roan lurched forward almost against his will but…

…his skin _stretched_ …

…and the bullets rebounded.

"IT'S NO USE! Ahahahaha!"

"What kind of human are you?!"

"I am the one who will become the King of Pirates!"

Roan rolled his eyes. "Enough with the chit-chat, we've got bigger problems."

Luffy, the little bastard, ignored him. "If you resist the marines here you'll become an outlaw," he said. "Or maybe you want to die here?"

Roronoa snorted as he stretched and flexed his arms, working feeling back into them. "It's a little late for that," he said. "Instead of dying here…why don't I agree to your request and become a pirate?"

Luffy cheered. "I have another nakama!"

Roan shoved Roronoa's katana at him. "Well Pirate Hunter let's see what you've got."

"If guns don't work then we'll use swords!" the marines screamed.

Nami and Coby shrieked, "DO SOMETHING!"

Roronoa Zoro _moved_.

The clang of metal against metal rang through the air.

Roan was impressed. Zoro had manged to stop the marines in their tracks with his three swords. And that was wielding one of them in his _mouth_ of all places.

 _Luffy sure knows how to pick 'em._

"Cool!"

"All of you better not move," Zoro growled. "You move…and I'll kill you!" He looked up at Luffy from beneath his bandana. "I already said I'd be a pirate with you. Either way after this incident I'll be an outlaw. But I have my own goals! I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman! As long as my name is known worldwide, it no longer matters if I am a good guy or a bad guy. If you ever get in the way of this goal I will have you apologize on the end of my sword!"

Luffy remained unfazed. "Good!" he said. "As the Pirate King's nakama, if you can't even accomplish something that small then I would be very embarrassed."

"Heh. Well said!"

Luffy swing his leg back. "Roan, Zoro, duck!"

As they crouched, Luffy cried out, " _Gomu Gomu no…WHIP!"_

His leg swung out and mowed the marines down like bowling pins. It was the first time Roan had _really_ seen his captain's devil fruit powers in use.

"Not bad," he murmured. "Not bad at all."

The marines were freaked out.

"What are you?"

"Captain we can't beat these people!"

"They're too strong!"

Roan sheathed his sword, deciding he wouldn't need it, and ran forward, socking one marine in the gut. "Quite your whining," He said. "If you can't even do this much you're in the wrong career!"

"This is an order!" Morgan shouted. "Anyone who just said that…grab a gun and shoot yourself!"

Roan liberated a rifle from one of them and used it like a club, bashing them over their heads. He heard Luffy shout something and the dull clang of a fist against metal. Roan kicked one in the stomach and spotted Luffy standing off against Morgan. Some marines had managed to get past Zoro and were suffering a beat down from a pissed off Nami.

Lots of marines were gawking at Luffy's fight.

It pissed Roan off.

"Pay attention to your own fight, idiots!" he snarled, kneeing one in the groin and punching another's throat.

"Someone stop them!"

"T-they're too strong…!"

"Captain Morgan can only be kicked around!"

Helmeppo showed up. Roan couldn't hear what he was saying, but he did see Nami slam him into the ground with her staff, leaving behind a sizeable knot and possibly a concussion. At the same moment Luffy delivered a strong punch to Morgan's jaw and rendered him unconscious. Silence fell over the courtyard for a single moment.

"WE'RE FREE…!"

"Captain Morgan's defeated!"

Roan released the collar of a marine. None of them were fighting now. He looked at Nami and Coby, both alive and pale but standing. At Zoro, who looked one second away from collapsing, and Luffy, who grinned bright enough to eclipse the sun even with an unconscious, bleeding Morgan on the ground behind him.

 _He's dangerous,_ Roan thought, _in more ways than one._

Roan had met people like Luffy. The things they could do…well, there were reasons a lot of them were notorious. Powerful people could make use of charismatic idiots. And those charismatic idiots earned loyalty, so if you had their loyalty you gained the loyalty of those who followed them.

Roan shivered. _What a frightening thought. He's already strong enough to defeat a sea king, even just a minor lord of the coast…if he gets stronger at the same rate that_ Sabo _does…I don't even want to think about what kind of monster he'll be in a few months. In a_ year _, even._

 _He's a pirate, and stubborn, but people like the Ringmaster can_ break _you. And he was just Joker's underling._

 _And people like them are far too common in this place._

Not something to think about here. Roan moved quickly towards Zoro who began to sway in place. He caught the Pirate Hunter before the man could do more than stumble.

"It's a good idea to not push your limits after you've been starved," Roan stated dryly. He shifted the swordsman so Zoro was leaning most of his weight on Roan, his arm around Roan's shoulders. The pirate hunter didn't look all that happy about it.

Pride was the giant killer, or so the Ringmaster had said. Roan had seen enough proof to believe it.

"Is Zoro-san okay?" Coby asked.

"He's fine. Just exhausted, starved, and dehydrated." Roan looked at Luffy and jerked his head at Zoro's other side in a wordless request. Luffy nodded and slid Zoro's other arm over his shoulders.

"Should we go to Rika's? I bet she'll feed us lots of good food to make Zoro better."

"Probably wise. I don't want to stick around long enough for the marines to get their acts together and decide we're the enemy."

Coby opened his mouth to protest…and then shut it, wordless. Nami's expression went dark, her hands clenched around her staff, and her shoulders stiff. No doubt she was remembering the fiasco at Loguetown.

 _Watch your step cabin boy; the road to hell is paved with good intentions._

They made their way to Rika's restaurant as quick as they could manage. Coby ran ahead to warn Rika's mother and inquire about a doctor. Roan wouldn't feel right leaving the island until Zoro had been examined and declared fit for sailing. Just because he didn't trust these people didn't mean he was stupid enough to leave them injured. So long as he traveled with them, their strength was Roan's strength.

'What happened?" Rika demanded when they stumbled through the door.

Roan and Luffy settled Zoro in a chair and took seats on either side of him. The restaurant was deserted. The fight at the base had been anything but quiet, not with the gunshots and celebratory screams. People feared Morgan. They were probably all camped out in their house hoping he didn't come and decide they'd had something to do with a mutiny.

 _Not that it really was a mutiny. His people didn't revolt – Luffy just kicked his ass and they reaped the benefits of his defeat._

Rika and her mother carried out plates of food, along with a first aid kit. Zoro dove into the food like a wild animal.

"Don't eat to fast or you'll be sick," Roan warned.

The pirate hunter grunted in acknowledgement and slowed down a little. Beside him Luffy tore into the food with equal fervor and less manners. Nami edged away from him and the flying bits of food. Coby took a plate but barely touched his food, busy telling Rika and her mother about their siege on the base. Roan kept his mouth shut. Coby was doing an excellent job of making them the heroes and he didn't know what to feel about that.

Finally Zoro leaned back with a satisfied sigh and patted his stomach.

"Full?"

"Stuffed," he said with deep satisfaction. He looked at Roan's barely touched plate and shot the first mate a questioning look. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Not particularly."

He felt a bit sick. It might have been old guilt rearing its ugly head. It might also have been the possible poison Nami put in his breakfast. Roan knew which option he preferred.

"So, what are our plans now?" Zoro asked.

"We're going to head for the Grand Line," Luffy said. "Nami and Roan got a chart to the Grand Line, right?"

"We didn't get the chart but we know where it's at," Roan said. "We'll be heading to Orange Town next. According to the reports on Morgan's desk that's where Buggy the Clown was headed towards when he was last sighted."

"I'll get that chart _and_ all his treasure!" Nami said with a gleam in her eyes.

Zoro leaned away from her. He looked a little disconcerted by Nami's intenseness. Poor man. He was stuck with her now for however long she decided to stay. Roan didn't doubt that at some point she would abandon ship and take all the treasure they gathered with her.

"Well, I'm glad you're not going to the Grand Line already," Coby declared. "There's no way the four of you are ready for that."

Roan rolled his eyes. "The first half of the Grand Line isn't that bad. It's the second half that's bug nuts fucking crazy."

"Eh? You've been to the Grand Line? Stingy! Why didn't you say before?" Luffy demanded.

Roan didn't want to get into his history with this world's criminal underworld. It wasn't any of their business why Roan had traveled the Grand Line before.

"Didn't seem important," he said with a shrug and prayed that Luffy would leave it at that. Nami looked at him with narrowed eyes, but Luffy shrugged and let it go.

"I don't want to hear anything anyways," he decided. "An adventure isn't any fun if you already know what's going to happen."

"You're saying crazy things again, Luffy-san! How do you plan to survive the Grand Line if you don't know what to expect? The world's strongest pirates all gather there!"

"What're you so worried for? It's not like you're coming," Nami said. "Besides with me as navigator these idiots will be fine. There's no sea I can't sail."

"Except the sea of humbleness," Roan muttered and winced when a foot impacted with his shin. He glared at the thief. She smiled back sweetly.

Coby slammed his hands on the table. "Even if I'm not going I'll still worry! Even though we all just met…we're friends, aren't we?"

"Yep," Luffy said. "Even though we have to part, we'll always be friends."

Coby smiled in relief. "I never had any friends growing up…I was always picked on and no one would ever stand up for me. But the four of you taught me to live by my dream!"

Roan's eyebrows raised in disbelief. He was sure he'd never mentioned a "dream" to any of them, so for what reason was Coby including him in that? Hadn't he scared the kid last night?

"That's why we're heading for the Grand Line," Luffy said.

"That's true…no! No! What I meant is you're too reckless!"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?" Zoro asked, knocking the hilt of his sword lightly against Coby's forehead. "Even though you were just doing chores on a pirate ship, you're still a small pirate. Don't underestimate the marine's ability to gather information."

"Not to mention helping us out," Roan added. "Even if you want to be a marine the rest of us are outlaws. You could get in trouble just for associating with us."

"Excuse me!"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Roan casually rested a hand on his sword as a marine stepped inside.

"Are you really pirates?"

"Yes," Luffy said. "I just got my third crewmember so that makes us pirates now."

"Even though you are pirates, in reality you saved out town and base. For that we are grateful. But since you are pirates…as marines we cannot allow you to stay any longer. Please leave this place immediately. As for the events that occurred here, we will be reporting it to headquarters."

Roan sighed in annoyance. "I was hoping to get a doctor to look at Roronoa, but I suppose that'll have to wait," he said, following Luffy's lead and standing up. "What a pain." He stopped as he passed Coby and dropped a hand on his shoulder. "If things don't pan out here head to Loguetown and tell Captain Smoker that Roan sent you. He'll take you on as a recruit."

"T-thank you Roan-san!"

"Yeah, no problem kid."

"That was pretty nice of you," Nami muttered as they stepped outside.

"Don't get used to it, hon; I'm not in the habit of passing out favors for free."

"Then why did you?"

Roan pulled out a cigarette and lit it, listening to the commotion behind them. "…can't a guy just do something nice for once?"

"Please. You're a bastard down to your core. You can't do something without there being a catch."

"No catch this time. 'Sides, aren't you listening? Luffy's got him covered. He won't need to use that favor."

"That doesn't explain _why_."

Roan blew a smoke ring. He looked sideways at Nami, took note of the suspicion in her eyes, and sighed. "Let it go, thief. I'm not in the mood to have a heart to heart with you, okay? And I'm sure you don't want to have one with me period so _drop it._ "

"Fine."

Roan watched her stalk off towards the pier and for a moment he drowned in guilt.

 _I just wanted to do something good for once, Thief. That's all._


End file.
